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Overview

The COPY TO STDOUT command is used to export data directly from a table to the client. This approach allows for data transfer by sending the data directly to the client, eliminating the need for server-side file operations.

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Syntax

The basic syntax for using COPY TO STDOUT is:

COPY table_name TO STDOUT;

Parameters:

  • table_name: The table from which the data will be exported.
  • stdout: Indicates that the data will be sent to the standard output (client application).
- Format: Only .csv is supported
- Delimiter: For CSV format, the default delimiter is a comma (,)

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Examples

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Step 1. Create the Table

  1. Create the table and insert some data into it.
CREATE TABLE book_inventory (
    title TEXT,
    copies_available INT
);
INSERT INTO book_inventory (title, copies_available) VALUES
('To Kill a Mockingbird', 5),
('1984', 8),
('The Great Gatsby', 3),
('Moby Dick', 2),
('War and Peace', 4);
  1. Upon successful creation, you should see the output below:
CREATE
INSERT 0 5

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Step 2. Start the Export Operation

  1. Run the COPY TO STDOUT command to export the data from the book_inventory table:
COPY book_inventory TO STDOUT;
  1. You will get the output with the table values, which you can use to create or copy into a CSV file:
"To Kill a Mockingbird",5
1984,8
"The Great Gatsby",3
"Moby Dick",2
"War and Peace",4